Westward Expansion may have been a dream inspired by President Jefferson, from which pride reaps the republic United States of America. With $15 million, the government was able to purchase the territory of Louisiana from the French government ( Andersen et al., 2017 ). Jefferson's vision was to give "the chosen people of God", "those who labor in the earth", a chance to survive, noting the alleged virtuous citizenry was born out of free people whose ancestors had served as slaves. It was indeed a blessing, not just to ex-slaves, but also to the entire republic, as the country continues to praise the Expansion of the empire of liberty.
Source (PBS, 2020)
An interactive map shows that cities were few in the 1860s, with a population of not more than a hundred thousand, with the exemption of New York City and Philadelphia. This realization coincides with ( Andersen et al., 2017, p. 236 ) observation asserting that only a portion of the country's population was proximate to the new land. It may, therefore, have taken the time to rebuild, hence explaining their unchanging statistics several decades after their settlement. The population began to grow, cities expanded, causing a shift to the infrastructure sector. By 1870, most residents were engaged in farming activities, to sustain the now increasingly large population. Additionally, the map clearly shows that the cities were adequately connected with the railroad that meandered up to San Fransisco
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Most people must have migrated with time and created future cities like San Francisco. This rapid expansion into the West can be attributed to the completion of the transcontinental railroad connecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. This development allowed for swift and seamless shipping of goods across the country, particularly farm products to the east where workers were in plenty.
Industrialization must have received a boost then, given the availability of raw material and a matching population to satisfy its diversified taste. The people of the new world grew exponentially, this time recording astounding figures, over a million ( Andersen et al., 2017 ). Chicago was among the densely populated cities, also well connected by rail. The spotted terrain affirms that the most substantial economic activity in the region was agriculture. Possibly, there were factories that refined agricultural products to be consumed in the east. A noticeable trend propped among the immigrants as opportunities grew, and everyone wanted a share in the New American Dream.
Towards the end of the 19 th century, the entire estate was occupied and reclaimed. Accordingly, westward Expansion was well deserved, a legacy that redefined the United States during the 19 th century. Expectedly, the new settlements contributed to a growing network of companies venturing in agriculture, transportation, and trade.
The political mood then must have been tense, more so in the second half of the decade. Similarly, the formation of new states, Kansas and Nebraska, west of Iowa and Missouri brought a new wave with its ideation of free nations. Senator Stephen Douglas was faulted by the Northerners, who believed that he had caved to the demands of slaveocracy, leaving their fate hanging in the balance ( Andersen et al., 2017 p. 229 ).
Later on, Kansas and Nebraska went into war, in a battle that almost saw the nation break. Allegedly, Missourians flooded into Kansas to vote in favor of slavery ( Andersen et al., 2017 ). It was then that individuals that felt cheated established a rival government before it culminated into a full-blown civil war. Hundreds of lives were lost in the battle of Bleeding Kansas, and a national civil war ensued a decade later, sharing the same grievances. Both wars strived to discourage slavery and considered the West to be the emblem of freedom. The extremist among its propagators considered it a blow to the American Dream.
Possible Negative Impact of the Westward Expansion
The most evident negative impact of Westward Expansion was as a result of environmental degradation. The infrastructural developments, to aid the Expansion westward. The time branded the period Manifest Destiny, to describe a Godly push into the West to tap into the untapped resources. In the context of this assignment, environmental degradation includes environmental and territorial facets as its scope is to reveal that an adverse effect was felt. Seemingly, the Expansion of American Destiny influenced American citizen to disregard the territorial rights that were previously reserved for Native Americans. Noticeably, the Expansion also informed civil strife, caused by cultural divide, tension, and wars. In other words, the period fed into the Americans' greed, entitlement. Most importantly, the Expansion informed debates that helped end slavery in America and neighboring countries. Pow (2019) further notes that Expansion more profound into the West may have been delayed by the need to reclaim land and also unfavorable agrarian conditions may even have discouraged farmers.
The debate of slavery is an important one, especially when discussed alongside the westward Expansion because its inputs contributed towards its termination. As the map shows, Chicago was the most populous city by 1890 and supported numerous economic activities ( Andersen et al., 2017 p. 229 ). Most occupants in Chicago were ex-slaves and were becoming familiarized with the idea of freedom when the debate re-emerged. The northerners even faulted the Expansion, a majority of whom felt that they were a target to the abolitionists, further creating a tension of retaliation by the affected to protect their human property. As accusations were being hurled both ways, a catastrophic end to the episode as the American democracy collapsed and civil war ensued.
The Civil war later ended and informed the Great Migration, which then told the Harlem Renaissance. Griffin (1995) purports that during the migration, people from diverse backgrounds were unified and their interactions resulted in an explosion of unmatched creativity. Noticeably, intellectuals and artisans of the African descend found a platform to showcase their work, the earliest forms of innovation being poetry. Notable poets included Jean Toomer, James Weldon, and Claude McKay, whose pieces continue to impress to date.
Equally, the Expansion later led to a refined revolution by a group of African Americans keen on advancing the African culture. Poetry by Johnson was an eye-opener to the many revellers that were gracing the town as he painted a clear picture of what the urban life entails ( Griffin & Griffin, 1995, p. 252 ). Despite receiving criticism, especially from the religious sector, Johnsons, work represented the many pieces that showcase of the pride of the new land bought by the American government to offer a chance for survival for free men and women who had been affected by slavery.
References
Andersen, B. R., Geluso, K., Otto, H. W., & Bishop-Boros, L. (2017). Westward Expansion of the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) in the United States, with notes on the first record from New Mexico. Western North American Naturalist , 77 (2), 223-229.
Griffin, F. J., & Griffin, F. J. (1995). " Who Set You Flowin'?": The African-American Migration Narrative . Oxford University Press.
Pow, S. (2019). Climatic and environmental limiting factors in the Mongol Empire's westward Expansion: Exploring causes for the Mongol withdrawal from Hungary in 1242. Socio-Environmental Dynamics along the Historical Silk Road , 301.
